nurse

1 noun (C)

1 someone who is trained to look after people who are ill or injured, usually in a hospital: The nurse is coming to give you an injection. | a student nurse (=someone learning to be a nurse) | Nurse Jones | a male nurse

2 old-fashioned a woman employed to look after a young child; nanny (1)

—see also: wet nurse 2 verb

1 SICK PEOPLE

a) (T) to look after someone who is ill or injured: nursing an elderly relative | nurse sb back to health (=nurse someone until they are well again)

b) (intransitive usually in progressive) to work as a nurse: She spent several years nursing in a military hospital.

2 YOUR FEELINGS (transitive not in passive) to secretly have a feeling or idea in your mind for a long time, especially an angry feeling: nurse a grudge/grievance/ambition etc: For years he had nursed a grievance against his former employer.

3 YOUR ILLNESS/INJURY (transitive not in passive) to rest when you have an illness or injury so that it will get better: Andrea was at home, nursing a cold.

4 TAKE CARE OF STH (T) to take special care of something especially during a difficult situation: nurse sth through/along etc: Royton succeeded in nursing the company through a financially difficult period.

5 HOLD (T) to hold something carefully in your hands or arms close to your body: a child nursing a kitten | Frank sat there nursing his glass of beer.

6 FEED A BABY

a) (I, T) if a woman nurses a baby, she feeds it with milk from her breasts; breast­feed

b) (I) if a baby nurses, it sucks milk from its mother's breast